Conrail Scenic and Action Photographs

A collection of scenic shots of Conrail action from April 1st, 1976 through the final split day. These photos are arranged by their photographer and general subject. They capture Conrail at work moving freight (and occasionally passengers) and contain photos from all across the system.

Brian Ferrell's Conrail photography features Conrail in southeastern Pennsylvania throughout the 1990's, from Conrail on the Northeast Corridor to smaller yards and branch lines such as Wanamaker Yard.

Lee Weldon was present on what turned out to be CR's last day running along Boston St. in Baltimore. Luckilly he was out on his lunch break with his Pentax and snapped these photographs that we can enjoy today.

A Lansdale, PA native, Dick Bregler is a retired USMC Gunnery Sargeant who made several trips into the heart of Conrail country over the years. He has been gracious enough to submit his entire collection of Conrail images for us to publish for your viewing pleasure.

Don Kalkman III has been shooting railfan photographs for a long time. Like all of his work, his Conrail images are of top quality. We currently have a selection of his work from the mid 90s, but hope to grow it as he makes more available.

Doug Davidson, who lives in Evanston, IL captured Conrail in action all around Chicago and Northwest Indiana from '76 til the merger in '99, including rare shots on the ex PRR Pan Handle mainline that ran thru the South Chicago suburbs, the ex PRR Pittsburgh to Chicago mainline, and the ex NYC main that later became the Chicago line during Conrail's early years. The many goodies that Doug captured on film include the bottle train(hot steel moved in specially equipped cars), the few years that Conrail operated the Valpo "Dummy" commuter service, and local service all over the Chicago area in general.

Glenn Fresch is an avid rail photographer who's day job is running trains on NJT in North Jersey. He spent a lot of time photographing Conrail in it's later, glory years, and his collection can be viewed here.

Bruce Kerr has been been a Conrail fan since before there was a Conrail. He's had the great ability to see the way it works from the inside, and here brings us selections from his great collection of photos, many that only a pro could get.

Jim grew up in Chicago and spent his youth playing sandlot baseball and watching Hiawatha's from left field. In the 1960s he rode behind CB&Q 4960 and 5632 on fan trips with his father. He moved to the east coast in the mid 70s and his interest in railroading was rekindled by the Chessie Steam Specials. He's been photographing railroads ever since.

Kevin Nelson, who lives in Marion, IN, managed to catch Conrail throughout its existance from '76 to the very end in '99 all over Indiana, especially in his hometown of Marion, IN where the ex NYC Marion Branch crossed the ex PRR Pan Handle mainline(Columbus to Chicago) at CP79 on the Marion Branch. While not a member, Kevin was very gracious in allowing us to put his photos on our website, so take a look inside at some classic Indiana Conrail action in both color and black & white.

Larry Gustina spent a lot of time shooting Conrail's Chicago Line in upstate New York during the mid 1990s, and has graciously contributed his collection of Conrail prints to be scanned and posted here.

Michael DeSoi was born and raised in Philadelphia. He spent his "formative" years watching the Reading RR running down American Street. He started active railfanning in the summer of 1976, just in time for Big Blue.

Many thanks to Paul for allowing me to post these here! The photos contained in this album are of Conrail in New Jersey and Pennsylvania with a couple New York photos thrown in. The dates vary greatly from CR's formation in 1976 through it's split up in 1999, so you'll find a diverse selection of equipment here.